All the talk from the England camp in the run up to this one was about putting a big score on the Scottish. For their part Scotland were looking for a reaction after their home defeat to Italy.
Here’s a report on the game from Michael Korolishin.
England 25 – Scotland 13
by Michael Korolishin
Opening their account against Scotland with a big break to center Luther Burrell off of the opening kickoff, it seemed as if this test could only end favorably for the the English. So it would eventually come to be, but England will rue a myriad of mistakes and missed opportunities which served to keep Scotland in the game when they maybe shouldn’t have been.
First half
England came at Scotland with a distinct fury in the opening engagements, with forward dominance paying dividends for the English backs. Playing with a bit more quickness and width than usual the English backs would open up the Scottish line and send Jonathan Joseph tip-toeing over from close range.
Twinkle-toed Jamie Joseph – scored the first try
A familiar boogeyman would raise it’s head for England in the form of continued dominance throughout the next quarter of the match, but nothing to show for it on the scoreboard. On track to make more metres carrying the ball in one half than many nations do in entire test matches, the English attack was stuttered by errors across the park. Even with the Scottish defense missing man-up tackles regularly, the English players seemed to struggle to handle the ball and make decisions in space and under pressure.
Scotland would make the most of the chance with the ball they had waited so long for. A try would come rapidly to the Scots through the form of Mark Bennett ghosting over the line following a slick lineout move and a quick recycling of the ball. Although this lineout move in particular would catch England off guard, Scotland sorely missed the presence of Richie Gray at lineout time throughout the course of the test.
Shocking many, Scotland would begin to turn the tide against England in the second quarter of the match – despite a wobbly set piece. After wrestling momentum back from the English, Scotland would begin to pour pressure onto the English side and repeatedly made efforts to exploit the lack of width in the English defensive line.
Only a slight brain explosion by Stewart Hogg would stand between Scotland and what was almost certainly another try before the closing of the half. Running across field attempting to beat the English defense, Hogg would crowd what little space his winger had and effectively kill opportunity. Analogous to several Australian stars Hogg drips raw athleticism and can generate stunning off-the-cuff plays, but seems to struggle at times when he needs to deliberately manipulate space on the field.
Regardless, Scotland would head into the sheds up 13 – 10 and with the momentum behind them. Unfortunately for the Scots, England have proven already that they can bring the thunder in the second half of a test – and so they would.
Coming out of the gates with the same fiery intent shown in the opening stages of the match, England would continue to pressure Scotland until George Ford would canter through an enormous hole in a disjointed Scottish line and right into the try zone. Slotting the conversion would give England a four-point cushion which would be extended to seven only a few minutes later after a lineout clash between Rob Harley and Courtney Lawes.
George Ford – cantered through for second England try
The next period of the game would strongly resemble the opening of the match – England clearly dominant over their opposition but unable to complete any attacking movements or generate real pressure because of knock-ons, mistimed runs, poor communication… you name it.
Jack Nowell would put the match to bed in the 75th minute when he fell over line for a classic winger’s walk-in try. England would come out of the Calcutta Cup as successful defenders of the title but knowing an error-marred performance like this will not see them well during a World Cup match.
The Wrap Up
Scotland appeared largely out of their depth against this English side. While playing with far more intent than in previous years, Scotland lacked the clinical edge necessary to make such a swashbuckling style of rugby translate to the test arena.
England also seemed to attempt playing with more width and zip to their game than usual but were let down by their skills and execution, ultimately being carried home by their ever-reliable forward pack. Lancaster clearly still has some work to do.
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The Game Changer
George Ford’s 44th minute try and the ensuing penalty in the 51st minute simply put too much distance between Scotland and England in what was a tightly contested match for 75 minutes. England’s superior bench would make this 7-point gap seem nearly insurmountable for the battling Scots.
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The G&GR MOTM
A name that world rugby fans become more familiar with each season, Mike Brown did his best to make things happen in a stunted English backline. English fans will be relieved to see him looking back to his old self after a bit of a shocker in his short shift against Italy.[/one_half]
The Details
Score & Scorers
[one_half last=”no”]England 25
Tries: Joseph (‘5), Ford (’43), Nowell (’76)
Conversions: Ford (‘5), (’43)
Penalties: Ford (’26), (’51)
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[one_half last=”yes”]Scotland 13
Tries: Bennett (’22)
Conversions: Laidlaw (’22)
Penalties: Laidlaw (’30), (’39)
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Cards & citings
None
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Crowd
Unknown
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The Teams
England
1. J. Marler, 2. D. Hartley, 3. D. Cole, 4. D. Attwood, 5. C. Lawes, 6. J. Haskell, 7. C. Robshaw, 8. B. Vunipola, 9. B. Youngs, 10. G. Ford, 11. J. Nowell, 12. L. Burrell, 13. J. Joseph, 14. A. Watson, 15. M. Brown
Reserves: 16. T.Youngs, 17. M. Vunipola, 18. K. Brookes, 19. G. Parling, 20. T. Wood, 21. R. Wigglesworth, 22. D. Cipriani, 23. B. Twelvetrees
Scotland
1. A. Dickinson, 2. R. Ford, 3. E. Murray, 4. J. Hamilton, 5. J. Gray, 6. R. Harley, 7. B. Cowan, 8. D. Denton, 9. G. Laidlaw, 10. F. Russell, 11. T. Seymour, 12. M. Scott, 13. M. Bennett, 14. D. Fife, 15. S. Hogg
Reserves: 16. F. Brown, 17. R. Grant, 18. G. Cross, 19. T. Swinson, 20. J. Beattie, 21. A. Ashe, 22. S. Hidalgo-Clyne, 23. G. Tonks
See next page for a report on Italy v France by “Bardon”
